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How dangerous is Vladimir Putin?

Territorial acquisition is a dangerous game to start playing. The world has moved on from the age of annexation and invasion.

Clinton has compared this to Germany in 1930s. There are some parallels. Being sore about having lost territories in the break-up of the soviet union. Annexing neighbouring territory on the grounds of protecting your ethnic clan. Promising that you are finished when there are many other Russian ethnic groups in other neighbouring territories.

The psychology of Putin is a worry. He has a bit of a narcissistic personality cult about him which is a warning sign for a leader who has the potential to cause a lot of misery through ego driven confrontation.

I hope the world can show a united front when it comes to sanctions to see if we are able to control bad behaviour without military force.

I don't consider Vladimir Putin as dangerous at all, and frankly given the events and circumstances his 'land grab' in Crimea was largely common sense. It is inane spluttering from our side that risks worsening the issue, I get the idea that is exactly what the foreign policy hawks want actually. Maybe they feel their war budget is under threat, or Nato's raison d'etre fading.

Ukraine & the west are just gonna have to get used to the fact Ukraine does not include Crimea- and I think the main result of stoking the issue will be that the chorus calling for eastern Ukraine to secede too, will just get louder. Putin seems to be content not to stoke this issue- for now.

What if Obama or any other western leader annexed a chunk of a neighbouring country on some flimsy protectionist pretence?

If the country voted 90% in favour of it then it would probably be OK. Say New Zealand voted 90% to be integrated to Australia, I don't see a problem with that. Annex is a pretty harsh word in this context. You could say Russia has liberated Crimea.

Invading a neighbouring nation by force and declaring part of their territory as now belonging to you is 19th century nonsense. It is not the way civilised nations conduct themselves in the 21st century.

Putin should be made to pay a heavy price as an example to the rest of the world.

looper they never invaded they have troops stationed there no direct access to the crimea from russia.

Originally Posted by Looper

Invading a neighbouring nation by force and declaring part of their territory as now belonging to you is 19th century nonsense. It is not the way civilised nations conduct themselves in the 21st century.

Putin should be made to pay a heavy price as an example to the rest of the world.

Perhaps if the West hadn't got involved in helping overthrow the democratically elected government in Ukraine just because they had decided to look East instead of West then Putin wouldn't have had to take the steps he did. The West has broken so many deals they signed with Russia just what did they expect.....

Invading a neighbouring nation by force and declaring part of their territory as now belonging to you is 19th century nonsense. It is not the way civilised nations conduct themselves in the 21st century.

Ok, but we have to burn Bush, Cheyney and Rumsfeld at the stake first.
If you can agree - we have a deal

Well they have diplomatic ways of conducting their claim on the territory. Massing tanks on the border and railroading a land-snatch is not good enough by 21st century standards.

Fair point, but I hardly see Ukraine handing over land through diplomatic means. Ukraine went into turmoil, the Russians came in to save Crimea from the shit fight.

The massing of forces on the Ukraine border is a seperate issue (which I do have a problem with), and the Crimea thing I'll concede is not a good precedent, but still, Crimea wants to be part of Russia, I don't see the problem.

Can't believe in this day and age, with all the illegal activity and atrocities the west has committed on various countries, not to mention the theft of land and resources, people still fall for the west's propaganda bullshit!

Invading a neighbouring nation by force and declaring part of their territory as now belonging to you is 19th century nonsense. It is not the way civilised nations conduct themselves in the 21st century.

Ok, but we have to burn Bush, Cheyney and Rumsfeld at the stake first.
If you can agree - we have a deal

I know a lot of people have problems with USA's world policeman role and foreign policies but Putin orchestrating a land-snatch on a neighbouring country is barbarian and thuggish and I don't see a direct comparison really.